Backpacker rescued from the Outback, Drank...

[DKO]

A British teenager lost in the Australian outback for three days fought his thirst by drinking contact lens fluid and could only ask rescuers “Where am I?” when they found him gaunt and dazed.

Sam Woodhead, 18, from Richmond upon Thames, was spotted from the air Friday about six miles from a remote station in Queensland where he has been living for 10 days during his gap year.

He had lost 33lb in the three days and was sunburnt, weak and severely dehydrated, but otherwise unharmed.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/news/world/British+backpacker+drank+contact+lens+fluid+stay+alive/7973874/story.html#ixzz2L24IAzhX

That's one of the harshest and most dangerous parts of the Outback.

[keninsc]

Any desert is cruel and unforgiving, he's damned lucky to be alive. God bless him, it wasn't his time.

[chopmo]

This is the 2nd i've seen of these in about 3 months

[chopmo]

I'm calling a wee bit bs on this one. In the area he got lost there is 11 airports and he didn't see one transport plane? He's lucky it wasn't in the red desert. Longreach, Queensland, Australia is where Upshot station is located. Where did he "go for a jog", anyone that lives in the bush or even country people, follow the roads if you don't have a gps. Or atleast stay on the property's yard, a couple of hectcres would be plenty of room to find somewhere to "go for a jog". I don't see how he had the energy let alone the time to "go for a jog" stations work mostly 4am-6pm that I know.

I also don't agree with it being the harshest. The red derserts are far worse, I'd say alice springs and surrounding (enviroment) and the daintree forrest (animals) would be the most dangerous places on land with WA probally being the most feared oceans/waters.

Edited February 16, 2013 by chopmo

[The Silver Thong]

We had an Oz ski I think ski out of bounds here and it took almost 3 days for conitions to be ok for a heli pick him up. aka rocky mountains

[keninsc]

Unfortunately, some people go out on what they think will be a leisurely jont and wind up in serious trouble due to a lack of being prepared properly. Shoot, I can't tell you the number of times I've gone out hiking or hunting and been given a pile of grief because I carry so much stuff with me......until suddenly someone gets a cut, or twists an ankle, or gets into a bed of fire ants or a spider bite. Guess who's got the emergency stuff? Guess who can find his way out because he has a compass and a map? And who thought to bring handi-wipes so after someone takes a big old.....you know what, they don't get a flaming butt? I even took feminine hygiene products with me once because we had some females and yeah, you'd think they had that issue covered..........wrong.

I've often wondered what they'd have done had they had to use moss or a leaf.

I once helped look for some "lost kids" who were no more than a mile from their campsite and hopelessly lost. When we found them and told them we were there to take them home, they wanted to argue about which direction we needed to go and that they weren't lost......just temporarily disoriented. Ego has killed more people than anything else.

Edited February 16, 2013 by keninsc

[Jinxdom]

Wouldn't of he been better off not drinking the contact lens solution(Wish they would of said a brand) because of the fact that it causes a whole slew of problems that would make it harder to survive out there. Even if it was just saline solution that and him drinking his urine would made him even more dehydrated then normal. (Unless of course he distilled it but still). That guy is lucky as hell to be alive

[pallidin]

Yeah, pretty darn lucky. I'm no expert, but from the way it sounds he might not have been able to survive too much longer.